Tye Kartye has turned into one of the NHL’s best value plays, and the New York Rangers have a real chance to keep him around.
Per PuckPedia, Kartye’s 4-7-11 line in 16 games with the Rangers has him sitting at roughly $114,000 per point, which ranks third-lowest in the league. At $1.25 million, he’s doing that work while skating second-line minutes and seeing power-play time on PP2 with JT Miller. At this point, the case is straightforward: the Rangers should re-sign Tye Kartye to a long-term deal.
The numbers only get more interesting when you zoom out. Kartye, who was claimed off waivers in February, has 9 goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 40 games.
That works out to a 51-point pace over an 82-game season and a 52-point pace over the new 84-game schedule. For a 25-year-old who didn’t arrive with the kind of draft pedigree usually attached to that production level, he’s tracking right alongside Will Cuylle in scoring pace.
He’s also done more than fill a scoring role. Kartye has helped pull captain JT Miller’s game back toward respectability after what the source describes as a rough first two-thirds of Miller’s 2025-2026 season.
Miller has 12 points in 16 games and has looked more energized as the second-line center. He has also been vocal about wanting Kartye on his line, and that could matter if the Rangers eventually add a young center with offensive upside and Miller is asked to slide to 3C.
There’s a caveat to the Miller discussion, though. Kartye spent time on the fourth line before moving up, and that unit was buried in defensive-zone usage with close to 75% OZ/NZ starts. That makes raw split arguments a little slippery, so the context matters.
Still, the broader point remains: Kartye has earned more than a short-term look. He’s fitting the system, he’s meshing with one of the Rangers’ key players, and he’s showing he can bring value beyond a single hot stretch. This isn’t being compared to a six-year Barclay Goodrow deal; it’s a different kind of bet on a player who has already outperformed expectations.
The contract picture helps make the case. Evolving-Hockey’s early projection pegs Kartye’s most likely next deal at three years and $2.4 million, but that feels light given his usage, production, and a projected $113.5 million cap ceiling. That’s only about 2% of the cap, and if Kartye keeps producing, that number won’t stay that low for long.
The Rangers’ cap situation also suggests they can make it work. They already have $79 million committed next season with four forwards, five defensemen, and two goalies signed. That leaves $34 million to fill nine forwards, including Kartye and four other RFAs, plus two defensemen, including Scott Morrow and Matthew Robertson.
The biggest money is expected to go to Will Cuylle and Gabe Perreault, with Noah Laba also due for a meaningful raise. Matt Rempe and Jaro Chmelar are projected as smaller raises.
If Morrow, Rempe, Robertson, and Chmelar combine for $5 million, that leaves $29 million for Laba, Kartye, Cuylle, Perreault, and three more forwards. With Evolving-Hockey projecting Perreault and Cuylle at $5 million apiece and Laba at $2.5 million, that would leave $16.5 million for Kartye and three additional forwards.
Adam Sykora, who was sidelined by injury this year, would also be around $1 million. And if a kid from Hartford - Liam Greentree, Cole Beaudoin, or both - pushes for a roster spot, the Rangers could still have $13.5 million left for Kartye and a major center addition in free agency.
The important thing is that the Rangers do not need to choose between Kartye and their other priorities. Perreault and Cuylle remain the 1A and 1B extensions, but Kartye belongs in the next tier right behind them.
That gives Chris Drury a chance to lock in at least three important pieces on team-friendly deals, building on Alexis Lafreniere’s bargain contract. There’s also an argument that Miller and Mika Zibanejad are already on friendly deals, which matters as the Rangers keep trying to position themselves for a run at Connor McDavid and prepare for Adam Fox’s next contract in 2029.
The bottom line is simple: the Rangers have the ability to re-sign Tye Kartye long term, and they should use it. In a retool that’s being managed on the fly, cheap, useful long-term contracts are how contenders stay contenders.
In Other News...
Rangers Just Took An Important Step Toward Goalie Relief
The Rangers took a practical step toward easing their goaltending squeeze by sending Joonas Korpisalo to the AHLs Hartford Wolf Pack on a conditioning loan as he works back from a lower-body injury and a foot infection. The move gives him a chance to get game action again while remaining on the NHL roster and payroll, a useful bit of flexibility for a team that has had to manage the position carefully.
Korpisalos return would give New York another experienced option at a time when Igor Shesterkin has been out for the season because of injury. The loan is governed by the NHL collective bargaining agreement, so the Rangers can keep him with Hartford for a limited stretch while they monitor his recovery and hope the next step is a smoother path back to the crease. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers May Have Found An Unexpected Answer To Their Center Problem
With injuries and instability forcing the issue down the middle, the Rangers tried something unusual against the Blues and it paid off in a way that was hard to ignore. Will Cuylle was shifted to center for the first time in his professional career, lining up with Eeli Tolvanen and Oliver Bjorkstrand in a matchup that could have gone sideways quickly but instead gave New York a different look in a 3-1 win.
The line did more than just survive the assignment. Cuylle looked comfortable enough in the middle, and the trio tilted the ice with strong expected goal numbers while also getting on the scoresheet, a promising sign for a team still searching for stability at center. Whether it becomes a real solution or just a useful emergency patch is still to be determined, but it gave the Rangers something they have been lacking: a credible option they had not planned on using. [Read more 🡒]
Wolf Pack's Offense Vanishes As Rangers Goalie Picture Gets Interesting
The Hartford Wolf Packs three-game point streak came to a halt in a 4-1 loss to the Hershey Bears in an Atlantic Division matchup, a reminder that even when the goaltending holds up, the margin for error can disappear quickly on the road. Joonas Korpisalo was in net on a conditioning loan to Hartford and turned aside 34 shots, giving the Rangers organization a closer look at a goalie situation that has become worth monitoring.
Hartford could not generate enough offense to match the effort in goal, and the trip rolls on with a stop against the Rochester Americans next. For the Wolf Pack, the challenge now is finding a way to make the most of these road games while the lineup and the crease picture continue to draw attention from the parent club. [Read more 🡒]